Sacristans

Being a sacristan is a very beneficial way to help out our church community, and an active way to participate in a Catholic Mass.  They have very important roles before, during, and after Mass.  Duties include setting up the sacred vessels and placing them on the table for the gifts procession.   At Communion, the sacristan brings out the consecrated hosts from the tabernacle and hands the vessel to an EMHC when needed.  After Communion, the sacristan returns any consecrated hosts to the tabernacle and the vessels to the sacristy for purification.  Once Mass is over, the sacristan returns the vessels to the vestry for the next Mass or storage.   The sacristan may have other duties as needed, or with special times of the year.
 
Time:  The sacristans usually are scheduled once a month; however, with the special Masses volunteers are always needed. A sacristan should be there at least a half hour before Mass time and will normally be finished 5 to 10 minutes after Mass.
 
Gifts and talents:  A sacristan should be an EMHC (Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion). The training is not long and is best done by shadowing a sacristan for a few Sunday Liturgies.   This is a rewarding ministry for a few good smiling people who like to help things run smoothly.